Lock mechanism for luggage and the like



Nov. 14, 1961 c. w. B. CHENEY 3,008,320

Loox MGGHANISM FOR LUGGAGE AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 22. 1959 2Sheets-Sheet 1 @VWM SRGEVF N0V 14, 196.1 c. w. B. CHENEY 3,008,320

LOCK MECHANISM FOR LUGGAGE AND THE LIKE `fri- Huur ,MV 211 I.

f5 17.6. f7.9 Ei gfwfS/y United States Patent A" LOCK v MECHANISM` FORLUGGAGE AND THE ALIKE Charles William Blake' Cheney, deceased, lateof'Olton, England, by Francis Martin Tomkinson, Birmingham, HowardWilliam Cheney, Shipton-on-Stour, and Gordon Merrick Sherwood,Birmingham, England, executors, assignors to C. W. Cheney & Son Limited,Birmingham, England, a corporation of Great Britain Filed Sept. 22,1959, Ser. No. 841,566

' 7 Claims. (Cl. 70-74) The Ipresent invention relates to a key operatedlocking mechanism which is applicable to fastenings for a wide varietyof articles, such as boxes, travel bags, money or cash boxes, portabletypewriter cases, and so on, in which the fastening is provided with ahook, lug or the like to be engaged with and disengaged from-a rotarylocking member of the locking mechanism.

This invention also relates to a spring-loaded hasp fastening -forarticles above referred to of the kind comprisingan attachment plate, amanually Aoperable lever member pivoted thereto and a hasp link pivotedto said lever member, the pivoted end of the lever member having atongue which engages a blade spring secured to the attachment platewhereby said member is permitted to have a snap action'into twopredetermined positions consisting respectively ofthe release positionand the fastening position of the' hasp link in relation to a catchplate.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a simple andinexpensive key operated locking mechanism which can be manufactured andvassembled by mass production methods and canbe Iassembled to afastening as above indicated. A v

A further object of the present invention is toincorpor-ate with theabove fastening a very simpleand inexpensive key operatedlockingmechanism for locking the lever member to the attachment plate.-1 n According to the present invention, there is provided aself-contained key operated locking mechanism comprising a front plateandback plate secured togetherk with the key operated rotary lockingmember rotatably arinner side with a circular seating for the rotarylocking member, and the other plate itself havingresilient means adaptedto snap engage the locking member at least in its locking position, soas to hold the locking member against accidental displacement. v

According to a rtorm of construction of self-contained locking mechanismaccording to the invention, the backplate made as a sheet met-alpressing is formed with integral eyelets which are received in holes inthe front 3,008,320 Patented Nov. 14, 1961 lCC The rotaryv movement ofthe locking ring into the key operated unlocking position is limited by.a-stop which is raised from the backplate and'lies in theplane of `thelocking catch sovas 'to-forman abutment torone. end -thereof.. When thekey operated locking ringis turned into the locking position, thelocking catch engages the said hook or the like, and the detent snapengages the ring as above described so as to prevent accidental movementthereof.

According to an `applicationoftheinvention, the selfcontained lockingdevice is housed in the rear ofu the levermember, said device comprising-a key operated locking rnembermounted lfor lrotary movement betweenfront Aand backrplates, one ofsaid plates itself having resilient meansadapted to engage said locking. member in'its respective locking yandunlocking positions, so esto hold saidmember against .accidentaldisplacement.

Preferably, thelback" plate isgfqrmed Iwith, a .circular seating for thelocking'menrber,' and the front-'platen constructed withsa t springtongue liavinfga deteritffor snap engaging with the lockingmembergatselected posi;

ranged between them, one platebeing provided, on its plate and rivetedover, thereby fastening 4the vfront and is rotatably received, and alsoalong one edge with a gap l for reception of the hook lug or the like onthe fastenlng.

The locking member consists of -a pressed sheet metal ring the bore ofwhich is formed with keywards and the outer perimeter with a projectinglocking catch to engage said hook or the like. The front plate, made ofspringy metal has resilient tongues which exert light pressure on thelocking ring, in a direction which is perpendicular Ato the axis ofthering. One of said tongues has a detent which is adapted to snap engagebehind an abutment ad joining the locking catch when the locking ring isturned into the Alocking position. The backplate is also formed on eachside of the .gap or groove with inwardly turned over ears which lie overthe rim of the locking ring and serve to assist in retaining said ringin its seating between the front and backplate.

For a better understanding of the inventioma' seltcontainedkey operatedlocking mechanismandits ap;- plication to a spring-loadedhaspfas-tening. is illustrated, by way of example, on the accompanying3drawing, wherein:` j u FIGUREfl is a perspective view ofa haspfastening in the position of release, incorporating the locking mech#amsm. f

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional-elevation o f'FIG- URE'l taken on thedotted line II-QII. 'f' 1 n FIGURE 3 is `a rearyiew, partly insection',ofva part of the vlever a-nd illustrating the locking mechanism in theunlocked position. v 1 fr i FIGURE 4 is aA view similar co-FIGURE 3showing the locking mechanism in vthelocked position;l

FIGURE 5 is a detail of the locking member incorporated in the lockingmechanism. 'f f' FIGURE 6 is a sectional elevation of'theself-'contained locking mechanism.

FIGURE 7 is a detail of a spring incorporated in the locking mechanism.v

FIGURE 8 is a rear elevation of a part of the lever incorporating a'modification of vthe locking mechanism.

FIGURE 9'is a section of PIG. 6 taken' on the dotted line IX-IX. v

As will be observed in the drawing, -the togglefastening comprises anattachment'plate9v which'is intended -to be riveted at 10 to the bodypart of a'box'or thejlike 11', and a catch plate 12 on a furtherattachment plate i13 adapted to be riveted at 14 to the lid'part 15of`the box or the like. The attachment plate Y9 has a manually 'operablelever 16 formed with opposite side4 anges'l? which are pivoted tooutwardly turned pivots 18 on the attachment plate 9. A hasp link 19,also formed with opposite side anges 20, is pivoted at 21 to the lever16, the free end of the hasp link 19 having a hooked end 19a forengagement with and disengagement from the catch plate 12. The inner end22 of the lever member 16 is bent into a tongue which engages a bladespring 23 secured to the front face of the attachment plate 9. Thesecomponents are mass produced as sheet metal pressings.

In operation the fastening is capable of having a snap action into twopredetermined positions, namely, the release position illustrated inFIGURES l and 2 and the connected position between the hooked end 19aand the catch plate 12, consequent upon the downward pivotal movement ofthe lever 16, as indicated by the arrow (FIG. 2).

The attachment plate 9 is provided with an upwardly turned hook 214which can be engaged with and dsenv- Ygaged from a self-contained keyoperated locking mecha- ,interposedv between them, the back' plate 27having a circular seating 29, to accommodate the locking member 2 8iYwhereasthe front vplate 26 vitself provides resilient means -30toYsnapengage the locking member 28 when .operated by a key 311 intoalternate rpositions of locking and unlocking." Inthis way the locking-member 28 is heldfagainst accidental displacement.

As `will be"Y more particularly Vseen from FIGURES 6 and? :the front andlback plates 26, 27 are constructed asfsheet metal pressings and theback plate 27 is formed withintegraleyelets 32 which are received incorrespondingl'holes in the front plate 26 and rivettedover 'therebyfastening the plates together and retaining the locking memb `1*'28between them. `The back plate vis provided withfahke sideranges 33, andalongtheV lower 'edge with aeei'r'ai gap 34, ifi which the s601124 einbe received iiijthejfasening pennen ef; the fastening."

"Thelocking member 28 consists of a pressed'metal ring the bore of whichis formed with key wards 35 and the outer'perimeter with a projectinglocking catch 36 tofengage the hook 24. The front plate 26 is'made ofspring'yfmetal and has resilient tonguesl capable of exerting'lightipressu're on the locking member' 28. One of; the tongues 3G has adetent 38 which is. adapted to V'Sapfengage'behind an abutment 39adjoining the locking'catch" 36, when the locking member 28 is rotatedin t0 the locking position. The back plate 27 may be .Y formedoneaohi'sidefof the gap '34.with inwardly turned over .ears to lie overkt'herim ofthe locking ring thereby to'as'sist in retaining it in itsseating 29. l A'Ifhei'otary movement of the locking member V28 islimited1 byastop 4l) whichy ispierced from thez back 'plate' 27 and lies`thefpatli of the locking member 28 so as to formjan abutment therefor.`The self-contained locking mechanism 25 is assembled bet-Ween "theflanges .17 of: the; lever 16, and the lower'end ofthe lever Ylfis bentVVat 41 lriver a hook 42 of the back plate 27, Whereas the pivot pin 21is utilised for'holding the upper part of Athe back plate 27 to thelever by pressing against the back plate (FIGS. 2, 3 and 4).Alternatively (FIG. 8)

thejbaclcplate 27 with its circular seating 29 is providedwith sideBauges 43 which tit within the anges 17 -andfurther assist incombination with theA pivot pin l21 Ain holding the locking mechanism inposition. The lever lof'the modification ofFIG. 8 has a centrallyrecessed .lient-infer portion 41.

lj fltwi,ll.bel appreciated that when the key 31 is operated toVturnfthe locking member 28 into the locking position,

'the 'lockingfcatch' 36 will engage behind the hook 24.

Simultaneously the detent 38 will snap engage the locking `'28. and'prevent accidental 'movement thereof. In

v a sheetfmetal back plate having a central circular seating therein,the front plate and the back plate being secured together, and a rotarykey-operated locking ring interposed between said front plate and saidback plate and supported in said seating, the said resilient meansl onsaid front plate exerting light pressureon the adjoining surface of saidrotary locking ring and arranged to retain said locking ring at least inthe locking position thereof so as to prevent its accidental movement.

2. A vself-contained key-operated locking mechanism according to claim11, characterised in that the resilient pressing means includes spacedtongues which exert the light pressure on the lockingring.

3. A .self-contained key-operated iocking mechanism according to claim1,'characterised in'that: the resilient pressing means includes spacedtongues which exert pressure on the adjoining surface of the lockingring and that the tongues lie in a common plane and at least one of thetongues is provided with a detent adapted to snap engage therotarylocking ring.

4. A self-contained `May-operated locking mechanism according to claim1, characterised in that the locking ring is provided withke'y.wards'and stop means for limiting the angular movement ofthe ring.' .a

. l5. A self-contained key-operated? lockingfrnechanism accordingto'claim l, characterisedin'that a stop pierced on theback'plate lies inthe path= of the locking ring and cooperates with an abutment thereon.for limiting the ,t References Cited in theV Vfileof this patent UNITEDSTATES PATENTS n 116,581 Fisiei et ai. nity 4, 1871 1,003,332'Ca1dwe11.; 1 sept. 12, 1911 2,648,966 P61ak" v r Aug. 1s, 19532,672,040 Kemenak i Mai. 16. 1954 i *FOREIGN PATENTS l 716,417 'Germany'Jan. 19, 1942 Great Britain nel--- Jan. 14, 1959

